A bitter taste in the mouth, the reasons for which may not be clear to you, especially if this phenomenon is persistent, is a reason to seriously address your health. Often, the body signals us about malaise and the development of various diseases through this method. The constant or periodic taste of bitterness (bile) in the mouth with various pathologies manifests itself at different times of the day and most often depends on the intake of food. In some cases, the bitterness disappears when consuming citrus fruits. In a healthy person, such a condition is not observed, so medical professionals strongly recommend not ignoring this unpleasant sensation.
Bitter Taste in the Mouth – Causes of Occurrence
The appearance of an unpleasant bitter taste in the mouth may be observed after consuming excessively hot, spicy, smoked, or fatty foods. Abuse of alcoholic beverages also provokes a feeling of bitterness in the morning. Taking certain medications, such as antibiotics, antifungal, or antihistamine drugs that put a load on the main filtering organ – the liver, and poisoning with heavy metals, especially lead, can cause this symptom.
Medical professionals consider a malfunction in the functioning of the gallbladder, when an excess of bile enters the esophagus and oral cavity, as the main cause of bitterness in the mouth. If the unpleasant taste pursues you constantly, it is advisable to consult a doctor for a comprehensive examination of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and the entire body as a whole. In particular, it is necessary to consult with an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, neuropathologist, and therapist.
Depending on the manifestations, the main factors causing a feeling of bitterness include:
- Diseases of the gallbladder and liver, where the symptom most often occurs in the morning, before breakfast.
- Diseases of the duodenum and stomach, impaired stomach motility – bitterness occurs after any meal.
- Oncological diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, gallstone disease, cholecystitis, disorders in the functioning of the endocrine and nervous systems – the feeling of bitterness persists throughout the day, regardless of food intake and lifestyle. For example, with hyperthyroidism (increased hormonal activity of the thyroid gland), the functioning of the bile ducts is disturbed, leading to constant reflux of bile into the esophagus.
- Liver diseases – bitterness manifests itself as a symptom during physical exertion, such as exercise in the gym, often accompanied by unpleasant pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium.
- Stress, mental strain – bitterness occurs briefly during body overload.
- Stomatological diseases – bitterness is accompanied by halitosis, an unpleasant odor from the oral cavity.
- Dysgeusia (a disease in which taste sensations are disturbed) – a bitter taste is felt when eating.
After the 20th week of pregnancy, many women experience a sense of bitterness and an acidic taste in the mouth. This is due to hormonal changes in the body and the growth of the fetus, which exerts systematic pressure on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
Bitterness in the mouth – treatment
Since a bitter taste in the mouth is a symptom of diseases of internal organs and glands, after examining the patient, the doctor prescribes individual therapy based on the underlying condition. Self-medication and self-prescribing over-the-counter remedies should be avoided; only a specialized professional can do this.
If the bitterness is related to the intake of medications prescribed by a doctor, they should be replaced with similar ones but without side effects for you. If you notice a correlation between stressful situations and the onset of a bitter taste, use gentle relaxants such as a tincture of valerian root, peony, dog nettle, or hawthorn.
Sometimes quitting smoking and alcoholic beverages leads to the normalization of the digestive organs and the elimination of bitterness at any time of the day.
Recommendations for water intake and nutrition
In the presence of bitterness in the mouth, it is necessary to adjust the diet and consume an adequate amount (at least 1.5-2 liters) of natural drinking water per day. It is advisable to refrain from tea and coffee, replacing them with infusions of rose hips, sea buckthorn, elderberry, hawthorn, and currants. Mint tea or lemon balm tea can be helpful in alleviating unpleasant sensations.
Problems with the digestive organs require adherence to a diet with the exclusion of spicy, salty, spicy, smoked, sweet, and fried foods. Salt in the menu should not exceed 3-4 grams per day. The eating regimen should be 5-6 times a day in small portions. The diet should include healthy foods rich in fiber, pectin compounds, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Products that help normalize digestive function and improve overall health include cereals (oats, buckwheat, brown rice, millet), berries (watermelon, blueberries, strawberries), fruits (plums and prunes, apricots and dried apricots, grapes and raisins, figs), vegetables (beets, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage), fermented dairy products (bio-kefir, yogurt, sour milk), and bread made from coarse flour and bran.
Folk methods of eliminating bitterness in the mouth
Flax seeds. An infusion with a consistency similar to jelly helps eliminate disruptions in the stomach and the entire digestive system, having a enveloping effect. It is particularly effective for bitterness occurring after meals. A tablespoon of seeds should be ground in a mortar, poured with a glass of boiled water, covered, and allowed to infuse for at least an hour. One glass of jelly is consumed during the day in several doses. The course of treatment is 7-8 days.
Marigold flowers. 10 grams of dried raw materials are brewed with a glass of boiled water and infused for 10 minutes. It is consumed instead of tea at least 3 times a day. A similar infusion is prepared with chamomile flowers, which soothes the nervous system and has an anti-inflammatory effect. If desired, the drink can be sweetened with natural honey.
Corn stigmas. They have a choleretic effect, eliminating bile stagnation and normalizing metabolic processes in the body. A tablespoon of dry raw material is poured with a glass of boiled water and infused for at least 2 hours. The filtered infusion is consumed 4 times a day, 50 ml each time. A fresh portion of the infusion should be prepared every day.
Centaury. 3 dried or fresh flowers of the plant are brewed in a teapot with 300 ml of boiled water, infused for fifteen minutes, and taken in the morning on an empty stomach and before bedtime.
Home oil. Sunflower cold-pressed vegetable oil (unrefined) helps eliminate bitterness in the mouth and improve overall well-being. At the first signs of discomfort, a teaspoon of oil is slowly sucked in the mouth for 10 minutes without swallowing, after which the white foam is spat out, and the oral cavity is rinsed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Spices. Chewing cloves or a cinnamon stick neutralizes the taste of bitterness and cleanses the oral cavity of microbes and bacteria.
Freshly squeezed juices of root and green parsley and celery, potatoes, lemon, lime, and mandarin. These drinks cleanse the body, enhance the secretory functions of the stomach, and saliva production. It is not advisable to consume acidic juices with increased acidity.
Liver cleansing. Taking sorbents, such as enterosgel, activated carbon, preparations based on cellulose, and crushed fruits of milk thistle, helps reduce the toxic load on the liver. There are numerous methods for liver cleansing, but it is preferable to carry out this procedure only under the supervision of a doctor.
Bitterness in the mouth is a symptom of malaise in the body. If measures are not taken to treat underlying diseases, they can become chronic. Timely examination will help avoid the formation of stones in the gallbladder, the development of chronic cholecystitis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, and liver steatosis.
Be healthy!
